Five COVID-related deaths in Island Health, 219 new cases

Five more people with COVID-19 have died in the Island Health region, bringing the total to 167, as the province announced that staff in government-funded child-care centres will soon have access to rapid antigen tests.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development said up to 250,000 tests will be sent to government-funded child-care facilities throughout the province for use by employees with symptoms of COVID-19.

It said the Health Ministry and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are providing direction on how rapid antigen tests are best used as part of the province’s pandemic response.

Additional information about when the tests are expected to arrive will be provided to childcare facilities in the coming days as logistics are confirmed.

Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have been encouraging more parents to get their children between the ages of five and 11 vaccinated to prevent illness.

According to data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, vaccination rates for this age group on Vancouver Island range from 28 per cent in the Vancouver Island West area to 73 per cent in Greater Victoria.

The province reported 21 more deaths on Wednesday, for an overall total of 2,575 fatalities since the pandemic started.

It said another 2,086 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed but that number is expected to be verified when all the data is available.

Of the new cases, 219 were in Island Health, which now has 1,781 known active cases.

The Health Ministry said 949 people were in hospital and 136 of them are in intensive care.

Island Health reported new outbreaks at three health-care facilities: Victoria General Hospital, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and the Nanaimo Seniors Village assisted-living facility.

Nine patient cases have been reported at Victoria General in the 6A and 6B neuromedicine units, while five cases have been detected in the fifthfloor general medicine unit at Naniamo Regional General Hospital.

Island Health says both hospitals remain safe to go to and people should not hesitate to seek emergency care if they need it.

At Nanaimo Seniors Village, two residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

The outbreak is limited to the assisted-living side of the facility. The long-term care home is not affected.

There are outbreaks at 22 other facilities in the region, and at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

Outbreaks at Luther Court in Victoria (three residents and four staff), Sidney All Care (one resident) and Sidney Care Home (one resident) have been declared over.